Ch'íná'itíh

Ch'íná'itíh names the Chinati Mountains, a small range of high desert in far West Texas. The name is commonly linked to an Apache word meaning 'gate' or 'mountain pass'. The range is built of igneous and metamorphic rock, the remains of ancient explosive volcanic activity. Its broad summit, Chinati Peak, rises to about 2,355 metres, and the summit is ringed by cliffs and brush-filled drainages. Grasses, cactus and brush typical of the Chihuahuan Desert cover the slopes.